


It Would Bring Us Together

by this_anonymous_whovian



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Amusement Parks, Demons, Exorcisms, F/M, Ghosts, Horror, Japan, My First Fanfic, Pete's World, Possession, Takakanonuma Greenland, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-28 05:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8433541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_anonymous_whovian/pseuds/this_anonymous_whovian
Summary: Rose and the Doctor, with their new TARDIS, go to Takakanonuma Greenland, which is supposedly a fabulous amusement park in Japan. When they arrive, they see that the park has been abandoned for decades. They would leave, but visiting paranormal investigator Will Evans needs their help to get off the island . . .
*The teen rating is for violence and language.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This story is partially inspired by the real Takakanonuma Greenland in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture and partially inspired by a gifset I saw on Tumblr. It's my first fanfic, so please be gentle! The rating will go up in later chapters for general horror themes.  
> http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Takakanonuma_Greenland  
> http://licieoic.tumblr.com/post/78921536687/stillthedoctor-demon-au-when-demons-take-over
> 
> The title is from this quote from the 1973 version of The Exorcist:
> 
> Demon: What an excellent day for an exorcism.  
> Father Damien Karras: You would like that?  
> Demon: Intensely.  
> Father Damien Karras: But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?  
> Demon: It would bring us together.  
> Father Damien Karras: You and Regan?  
> Demon: You and us.

“Doctor, where are we going?” Rose asked with a laugh as the man in question pulled her out of their new TARDIS. 

He didn’t answer, but looked over his shoulder momentarily and laughed. It was the sort of genuine laugh that she had heard so infrequently in the months since they had been shut out from their original universe. She missed hearing that laugh, seeing those eyes crinkle so naturally, and experiencing them once more made her eager to join him in whatever mess he was about to throw himself into. She started to run a bit faster, only to bump into the Doctor’s still form a few steps later.

Looking around, she couldn’t see anything particularly dangerous, although she did sense an unpleasant tingle making its way down her spine. It seemed that they had landed in an Earth amusement park from her time, but several decades after it had closed. The roller coasters, both steel and wooden, still stood, as did the ferris wheel, the carousel, the house of mirrors, and all the concession stands. Faded paint chips of red, blue, yellow, and green littered the ground along with odd nuts and bolts, which must have popped off the rides. Perhaps it was just the gloomy sunset, but Rose wanted to get far away from this place before it got dark.

“Hmm, must have gotten the timing wrong,” the Doctor mumbled, squinting into the hazy distance. “This is certainly Takakanonuma Greenland, but it doesn’t seem to be open right now, does it?” He clicked his tongue and turned to go back to the TARDIS.

“Wait, someone’s comin’,” Rose said, gripping her friend’s hand a little tighter and nodding to the rusty ferris wheel. Again, she felt that shiver travel down her body, prompting her to say, “Never mind. ‘S probably nothing. Let’s go back in.”

The footsteps that she thought she heard began to come quicker and louder.

“Doctor, let’s go.”

A dark humanoid silhouette appeared against the pale fog, walking toward the pair at a brisk pace. The movement caught the Doctor’s attention, and he too sensed a sudden chill move through him.

“Hello?” a distant voice called from the direction of the figure. “Hello! Oh, thank G-d someone’s here!”

The silhouette began to run. Rose and the Doctor exchanged nervous looks, but made no movement. 

“Hey!” the voice called.

At last, the figure came close enough to be recognized as a man. He was average height and a bit overweight, with a dark, bushy beard matching his curly head hair. He didn’t look particularly threatening, but the Doctor stepped in front of his companion and stood taller as he came closer. The man stopped about five feet away with his hands on his knees, taking huge gasps of air. Once he caught his breath, he said,

“Oh, it’s such a relief to see people here. Are you from the Fukushima Council? I’ve been waiting for you guys for two days already, but, you know what?” He emitted a terse laugh before continuing. “I’m just thrilled you came at all.”

“Erm, yes, we’re from the Council. Sorry about the delay. I’m the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler.”

“I’m Will Evans, nice to meet you,” the man responded, emphatically shaking their hands. “So, where’s the boat? Let’s get off this godforsaken island ASAP.”

“We’ve, umm, sent the boat back for supplies,” Rose said after a subtle nod from the Doctor. “Why don’t you tell us what the problem is while we’re still here?”

“Ugh, does it matter what the problem is? I got permission for you guys to do a week of research here, but it’s been nine days. Isn’t that enough of a problem?”

“Calm down, there,” the Doctor said. “We’re here to help. We should make the most of the time we have before the boat gets back. Let’s start with the basics. What research are you doing?”

“Paranormal investigation. I got some emails from other researchers about this place. None of them wanted to check it out themselves, so I thought I’d be brave and find some groundbreaking evidence.” Luckily, he did not see the skeptical glance that the Doctor threw Rose. “Unexplored turf, you know? Christ, that was a right stupid idea,” he said, wiping a hand down his bearded face.

“You find anything, then?” Rose asked innocently.

Will sighed and muttered, “Yeah, a little too much. Come on, I’ll show you what I got.”

The travellers shrugged and followed the investigator to the decrepit customer relations building near the entrance of the park. Walking through the grey, abandoned funland both the Doctor and Rose felt something foreboding and threatening around them, although neither would admit it.


	2. Chapter Two

“You here alone, Will?” the Doctor asked once they were inside the old building.

The room smelled dry and dusty, and didn’t look much better. It seemed that it had been empty for years, like the rest of the park, until the investigator came along. The wallpaper, which showed zeppelins against a bright blue sky, was turning yellow and starting to peel. The blinds didn’t cover the windows very well, as the plastic strips were either bent or broken, allowing anyone to look out or in with ease. Any space left on the counter that was free from Will’s equipment was blanketed with a thick layer of dust. Will had apparently slept on the floor for nine days, judging by the air mattress. It didn’t look like a sanitary place to stay, with crumbs and open containers of food strewn about, broken windows blowing in the biting chill, and a few leaks from the water-damaged ceiling dripping into the carpet.

“Yeah, just me,” Will said. “My team’s back in New Hampshire, taking care of local business. Flights to Japan don’t come cheap, you know.”

He flipped open a laptop and opened a folder of photographs. He scrolled down a bit, clicked on a daytime shot, and beckoned the pair to come closer. Rose was hesitant to step too far away from the doorway, but the Doctor gave her a reassuring nod. Putting her trust in him, she came inside.

The picture on the screen was taken on a day that was somewhat less cloudy than the current day, although that didn’t make the park look any friendlier. The rust on the rides still glared in a deep, rough red, the debris on the ground still whirled around desolately, and there was still a veil of threatening dreariness over the scene. 

“Wait a minute,” the Doctor said after taking a moment to study the picture. He pulled out his glasses and stepped closer to the laptop. “Is . . . Is that a young girl?”

He pointed to a faint figure standing in front of the carousel, and Rose gasped. It did look like a little girl wearing a pastel, knee-length dress and holding a white balloon. But the date of the file was just four days ago, and the investigator said he was alone.

Will nodded and said, “That’s right. She’s this little kid I keep seeing around the island. Usually she’s just in the corner of my eye, and when I turn, I see something running away. Here, though, it’s like she’s posing. She’s right in the center, looking into the camera, perfectly positioned. I didn’t even see her there when I took the photo. Freaky shit, huh?”

“Have you seen her since?”

“Yes. She’s actually been coming closer. Now I know she’s here, as opposed to doubting what I saw. Check this out.”

He pulled up another program, this one showing the technical aspects of audio files. The file that was open showed a graph of lime green lines against a black background. About one-third into the graph, there was a sharp increase in the height of the green bars. They became shorter soon after, and then rose again. There were five spikes on the graph, leaving the beginning and end rather level.

Will played the clip and the chart made sense. For about ten seconds, there was only the howling of the wind. Suddenly, there was the giggle of a child that sounded as if it came from right next to the recorder. Then there were footsteps running away, followed by the wind again.

When the audio stopped, silence clogged the room. Rose stepped closer to her friend, who put his arm around her shoulders. 

“It’s a snippet from an overnight recording, but the rest wasn’t anything valuable. I recorded it from the carousel’s control booth the night before I took the picture.”

“Have you tried to contact them?”

“Yeah, did you do a seance or somethin’?”

“I’ve made contact, but not through a seance. Those things require mediums. I like to go the scientific route,” Will explained. “I know there are several spirits, but only the kid seems to manifest physically. Don’t know why, though.”

“Are any of them malicious?” Rose asked.

Will stared at her with a neutral expression for some time, and then a smile slowly creeped across his face. 

“Oh, yes.”

The investigator’s body jerked to face the Doctor while his face remained trained on Rose. His eyes turned black all over, expanding from his pupil over his blue irises and white scleras. His hands flew up to lock around the taller man’s neck. Rose yelped, and then her Torchwood training kicked in. 

She first tried to rip his hands off the Doctor’s throat as the Doctor did the same. Will’s grip was like iron, cold and hard, and would not be broken. Rose attempted to attack his pressure points, but he began to rampage around the large room at too fast a pace and too irregular a pattern to even be touched. The Doctor couldn’t keep up either, and he was soon being dragged by the neck as his feet scrambled unsuccessfully for purchase. Will bashed the Doctor’s head into the wall whenever he paused, creating dents and holes in the plaster. Seeing her options run out, the Torchwood agent climbed on the counter. She waited for Will to come close enough, and pounced on his back. She thrust her head against his, but he was unfazed. His grip remained steadfast as he carried the weight of both Rose and the Doctor. 

The Doctor’s face was hot and red, and his eyes started to slip shut. The last things he was conscious of were the throbbing of his head and the fact that Rose was not in sight. 

The bearded man ran backwards and rammed the woman on his back into the counter. The sharp edge of the counter dug into her back, sending comets of pain throughout her body, causing her to freeze and let go. She fell to the floor, feeling lightheaded. She groaned in agony as she tried to stand up.

“Doctor!”

Fighting through the stars in her vision, she was successful on the fourth attempt, but Will was already gone, the Doctor with him.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the wonderful Tumblr users @jabber-who-key and @rudebutstillginger  
> http://jabber-who-key.tumblr.com/  
> http://rudebutstillginger.tumblr.com/
> 
> And you can find my Tumblr here: http://this-anonymous-whovian.tumblr.com/

“Fuck,” Rose whispered, rubbing her back. 

Standing up had made her dizzy, but she wasn’t about to sit down and wait for it to subside. No, she had to track down the violent man who attacked her friend. What had gotten into him? Was it actually a malicious spirit? Based on her adventure with Charles Dickens and the catastrophe with the Cybermen that had ripped her from her original universe, Rose knew that ghosts didn’t exist. However, she didn’t know of any aliens that could take over a body so completely either. At least the Doctor had never told her of any.

She screamed his name from the doorway and heard only the echoes of her own voice in response. After whispering another profanity, Rose went back inside the customer service building to look at Will’s research. Maybe it would give her some ideas of where to find them.

Most of the photographs on his laptop depicted the same subject: the carousel. It was captured at all angles with all kinds of light. Some shots used sunlight, some used a camera’s flash, and some used night vision. Regardless of lighting, there was always a veil of fog around the structure. So many pictures were of the same rundown attraction, all equally boring and unnerving. Rose found herself checking over her shoulder every few minutes. It wasn’t out of hope that the Doctor would return, but out of fear that Will would, or someone else. 

Judging by the sun’s position, it would be fully dark in an hour. The lone woman decided to head to the carousel first, and then look around the red steel roller coaster, which was photographed very frequently, although not as often as the merry-go-round. She would save the house of mirrors, the third most-photographed attraction, for the morning if need be. She grabbed a small torch from Will’s backpack and took a deep breath before heading out. 

The thuds of Rose’s sneakers ricocheted around the park, almost sounding like there were other visitors around her. It only took a couple minutes to get to the carousel, as it was the ride closest to the entrance, but those minutes ticked by at an achingly slow pace.

The metal door at the entrance to the merry-go-round creaked as Rose swung it open. She hurriedly walked onto the platform, feeling trapped in the metal gates where guests once waited for their turn. The door closed on its own, the rust on its hinges loudly scraping off. Rose made quick work of scoping her surroundings. The control booth, with all the windows smashed, was empty. Several figures on the platform were broken in some way, such as a horse missing its front legs and a giant rooster or turkey with its head in several pieces on the floor. The warped mirrors on the center column were scratched and cloudy from age. Most of the lightbulbs on the mirrored ceiling of the ride were shattered, their colorful glass exoskeletons on the ground.

Once satisfied that the carousel wasn’t hiding anything, and made slightly more nervous by that fact, Rose shouted for her friend again. It was now dark and significantly colder, and the call sounded hollow in the night air. The echoes came back with no news of the Doctor’s whereabouts.

It’s time to go, Rose said to herself. She hopped over the gate surrounding the merry-go-round and turned on the small torch she had taken from Will’s bag. Despite its size, it was able to illuminate several feet in front of her, casting the immediate area in a pale yellow light. She waved it around, hoping it would give her some sense of direction. Unfortunately, she had completely forgotten which way the steel coaster was, so she decided to walk away from the gates, which towered over the park and obstructed the moon’s glow. As long as she remembered that the gates signaled the park’s entrance, and therefore the TARDIS, she could find her way back.

She arrived at a blue steel coaster first, much to her disappointment. She refused to make any turns in case she lost her way. Moving the torch around, the rails of the coaster became visible, but not much else. The area under the beams was closed off by a tall wooden fence.

“Doctor!” Rose called, hoping he was on the other side of the fence.

There was no response. Starting to get chilly and paranoid, Rose sighed and turned to head back. She scanned the area once more, finding nothing.

Except for that.

She raised the light to a steel beam many meters off the ground and screamed. There was a plump body draped over the metal, limbs hanging toward the ground. His eyes were open and rolled back in his skull, but they were white once more. Will was dead. 

The Doctor must have fallen off the track, Rose thought. She followed the fence, looking for a door. She found one near the short railings meant to organize the queue, but it was closed with a rusty chain and padlock.

She kicked the warped door and hollered, “Doctor, don’t move, I’m coming!”

Finally, the wood broke at the bottom, allowing Rose to crawl under the fence. The concrete pulled on her clothing and scraped her palms, although she hardly noticed. Looking up from her position on the ground, she saw nothing but the coaster’s rails and Will’s wilted form, appearing like a macabre bird’s nest in a bare tree. The wind blew furiously as Rose stood up, making the chilly evening feel like winter. On any other occasion, she would suggest calling it a night, but she would be with the Doctor on any other occasion, and she felt so close to finding him just now.

Brushing her hair out of her face with shaking hands, Rose formed a vague plan. First, she would investigate this roller coaster. Second, she would check out the Ferris wheel, which seemed to be the next closest ride. Third, if the Doctor was still nowhere to be found, she would go back to the customer service building, where she would look through Will’s research again and pick up spare batteries for the torch. After that, the first glimmers of dawn would show, and then it would be easier to maneuver the grounds. 

“Okay,” Rose said to herself. “Just look over this ride, and then move on to the Ferris wheel. Do what you have to do. Sunrise is in a few hours. You’ll feel better in daylight, yeah?”

She took a few steps farther, approaching the ground under Will’s suspended body, but not standing directly beneath him. The absence of blood struck Rose as peculiar. How did Will die? If he were beaten by someone, then blood would certainly be dripping. The same stands for his throat being cut. Maybe he just has a concussion, and he’s not dead, Rose thought. She shone the torch directly in his eyes, but got no response. She circled his body, checking all angles, and saw no movement, not even his chest shallowly rising and falling. A chill ran down her spine as she stared into Will’s blank white eyes.

Fighting the strange compulsion to climb on the beams and touch him, Rose turned away. No, she had to find the Doctor. She wandered around the tracks, occasionally taking a step up on a rail for a different view. The light from the torch revealed nothing new, regardless of the angle. The wind picked up speed and nipped at Rose’s hands and cheeks.

Feeling defeated, she crawled back under the fence to the open area of the park. She wiped away frustrated tears as she walked to the entrance. She was soon running, desperate to get into the TARDIS, where she could get some information about Takakanonuma Greenland and feel a sense of security. By the time she got to the blue box, she was out of breath and sobbing. How could she let this happen to him? They were finally together, finally travelling again, and she couldn’t even protect him from one person . . . alien . . . whatever it was. She had gotten back to him, had promised him forever, and she had let him down. More than that, she failed him, she let him get abducted, and now he could be anywhere. He might not be in the park anymore!

With panic rising, Rose stuck her key into the lock, hands shaking wildly. But the key did not turn. She pulled it out and stuck it in again, to no avail.

“Come on, old girl,” she whined, stroking the wooden exterior. The key still would not turn, making Rose feel trapped and vulnerable. Now hitting the doors, she began to yell. “Come on! Please! Help me!”

After a few minutes of begging the TARDIS to let her in, Rose realized that she was not making any progress, and gave up. Wiping her face on her sleeve, she slowly made her way to the customer service building.

Everything was as she left it. The Doctor had not come back. The woman yawned, suddenly exhausted, and slumped into a corner. She looked out the window to see that the moon was high and the cloudy sky was dark. She gradually calmed herself by measuring her breaths, and she soon fell asleep.


	4. Chapter Four

The rays of sunlight poured into the building without meeting any obstacles. They struck Rose’s face with undiluted strength, rudely waking her. As she lifted her head, she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. The pain prevented her from turning her head too far, and massaging the area didn’t help. Great, she thought sardonically.

She went to look through Will’s bag for food, batteries, and anything else that might be helpful. After eating a granola bar and shoving a couple replacement batteries in her pocket, she began to unpack the knapsack. She took out more granola bars, a couple pairs of socks, a first aid kit, a disposable camera, and something heavy, angular, and cold that was wrapped in a cloth. Whispering pleas under her breath, Rose peeled back the cloth to unveil a gun. Opening the chamber showed that the weapon was fully loaded. Either Will didn’t care much for safety, or he didn’t know enough about firearms to be safe. Both possibilities made Rose uneasy. She gingerly set down the gun as a stream of questions flooded her mind. Why would Will bring a weapon to an abandoned amusement park on an abandoned island? Did he anticipate the need to defend himself in such a severe manner? If so, what was he expecting? He couldn’t possibly anticipate getting possessed by an alien. Would standard copper or lead bullets even work against the alien?

She picked up the torch again and walked outside. The TARDIS was still where she landed, looking radiant as ever in the sunlight. The park seemed incredibly less intimidating when not doused in fog and shrouded in darkness. The decrepit ferris wheel stood proud, visible from across the park. The tall blue roller coaster appeared to be the same height, although it stretched much higher than the wheel and was farther away. Even the ruddy multicolored carousel didn’t appear ominous, but simply old. Rose could imagine how Takakanonuma Greenland would be on bright, sunny days when it was open. She could see hundreds of people in summer clothes running from ride to ride, stopping for cotton candy and funnel cakes, laughing and taking pictures. It was clear why the Doctor wanted to take her to the park. It should have been a lovely, carefree day, but now it was a sojourn in Hell.

While walking to her first target, the blue roller coaster, Rose rolled her shoulders and head, trying to loosen the cramp in her neck, and called out for the Doctor a few times. She held her head high, feeling confident that she would find her friend before night fell. The more she walked, the stranger the park seemed. What made her anxiety resurface was not anything she saw or heard, but rather what she did not see or hear. On such a fine day, all sorts of animals should have been out and about. There should have been rats, squirrels, chipmunks, pigeons, sparrows, flies, and mosquitos. If there was no noise from humans, then animals were more than likely to fill the quiet. But there were no sounds of scurrying, no chirping, no buzzing. The silence would have been deafening, if not for the echoes of Rose’s footfalls and the wind occasionally sweeping through the rides.

Finally at the entrance to the great, blue, steel coaster, Rose looked to its summit. Without the cocoon of fog, one could see that it must have been at least twenty stories high. As soon as the rails began to decline, there were two corkscrews. She meandered through the queue area and stepped onto the platform, above which there was a metal canopy providing shade. A train of six cars still sat on the rails, waiting for passengers who would never come. 

Because the platform was raised from the ground, Rose could see a great portion of the grounds. Everything stood still, appearing as if frozen in time. The sparse clouds in the sky hardly moved, causing shadows to stay in place and adding to the frozen look. She scrutinized the rides, the dead, bare trees, the buildings, the shadows, hyperware of any and every minute movement. As a particularly strong breeze made its way across the park, shaking branches to and fro, a tall, thin, dark shape emerged from the restaurant near the carousel.

“Doctor!” Rose hollered, her face splitting into a wide smile. “Doctor!” she yelled once more before realizing that he was too far away to hear her.

She frantically sprinted back through the way she came and paused when she reached ground level once more. Heart thumping with excitement and exertion, Rose whipped her head around and gasped as stabbing pains shot through her neck. Slowly turning her face forward again, she muttered a curse under her breath and then rubbed the sore area. She set off in the direction of the merry-go-round, but decided to stop in the customer service building to look for painkillers before continuing the search for her friend.

Rose hoped to see the Doctor on her way back, either walking around or waiting for her somewhere, but she was met with disappointment. Again, her calls went unanswered. There was a bottle of ibuprofen in the first aid kit, thank goodness. She sat on the counter and took two tablets. Deciding to do a bit more research while she waited, she opened one of Will’s laptops. After plugging in a portable charger and booting up the computer, she opened a folder titled “TG 3.” The most recent files had been added three days before Rose and the Doctor arrived. There were 396 photographs in the folder, most resembling the first few that Will had shown her with their foggy depictions of the foggy grounds. Several pictures toward the bottom were completely different, though. The last few images were filled with darkness, like all the rest, save some small objects in high contrast. The 391st photo was a full body shot of Will walking on the platform of the carousel. Rose briefly wondered how the picture was taken, and then realized that the camera most likely had a timer function. The 392nd picture must have been taken seconds after the previous one, as it showed Will in the same outfit and the same location. This time, however, he was looking directly at the camera, and he had stark redeye. In the following photo, the supernatural investigator exhibited a look of pure surprise, with raised eyebrows, wide eyes, and open mouth. The next one showed Will hunched over on one knee and clutching at one of the carousel’s figures. The 395th image showed his profile standing erect. Finally, in the last photograph, his face was visible again, and now, in place of his eyes, there were large white circles surrounded by a thin band of pale green. He was walking toward the camera, mouth slightly agape. 

Rose shivered, unnerved by the stream of events captured by the camera. As she turned off the laptop, a knock resounded from the doorway. She flicked her head to the side, and then muttered a curse as the pain in her neck flared up. She turned her body to the door and squealed when she saw the source of the knock.

“Doctor!”


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, this story has been beta'd by the wonderful Tumblr users @jabber-who-key and @rudebutstillginger

Rose hopped off the counter and ran to pull the Doctor into a tight embrace. His arms immediately wrapped around her, holding her safe. She inhaled his unique scent, still strong even after being who-knows-where for two days without a wash. When she lifted her head off his chest to look at his face, she saw that he was already staring down at her. Instead of his usual chipper expression, the Doctor’s eyes were serious, the pupils enlarged, and his mouth was hanging open slightly. Before Rose had time to decipher his features, he closed the small distance between them. It only took a millisecond for her to return the kiss, and soon his tongue was exploring her mouth. Delighted as she was, she had to push him away so she could catch her breath and ask an important question.

“Why now, Doctor? You’ve been here nearly a year, and not once have you kissed me.” He raised an eyebrow, and she elaborated, “‘S not that I don’t want this, ‘cause I do. It’s just, why now?”

He curled the arm around her waist even tighter, looked straight into her eyes, and said, “I thought it was about time for us to get closer.”

Rose’s smile plummeted to the ground as the Doctor’s eyes turned black. His pupils expanded to cover his irises, and then the whites of his eyes were devoured by the darkness as well. Rose gasped, struggling to escape his iron grip.

“Oh, my precious girl, what’s wrong? I thought you wanted this.”

He leaned down to kiss her again, and Rose bit down on his lower lip hard enough that she heard a sickening crunch and tasted blood. The Doctor let go of her with a grunt. His right hand flew to his lip as his left shot out to grab the door frame.

“Who are you?” Rose asked, retreating behind the counter to try to find some sort of weapon.

“Now, now, Rose. You know who I am. I’m the Doctor.” He smiled, and it was anything but comforting. Blood was dribbling out of the corners of his mouth and down his chin. His bottom lip must have been numb, because it hardly moved to aid the grin.

“No, who’s controlling the Doctor?” she asked, eyes flicking between the emptied contents of Will’s backpack and the blood on her friend’s face. “Why are you here? Is your planet in danger? I can help you.”

“I’m from Earth, and I’m not in danger,” said a voice that wasn’t the Doctor’s. Although it had come from his body, the voice was low and raspy, reminding Rose of the Sycorax. It also had an American accent.

“Then why are you takin’ other people’s bodies? Don’t you have somewhere to go?”

“I used to have a body, but now I don’t. There’s a simple solution to my problem. Let me keep this scrawny thing.”

“You can’t do that, just take over people’s bodies. And you definitely can’t keep the Doctor’s body!” She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then tried to reason with the creature that was supposedly from Earth. “If you leave the Doctor, he and I can find you somewhere to live permanently. ‘S what we do, we help people, or aliens, or whatever you are.”

“I was a human, like you. I used to help people, like you. But all those good deeds, they did nothing for me in the end. Now I’m all alone . . . except for you, Rose. You’ve come to help me, haven’t you?”

Rose remained behind the counter, clutching a large, heavy torch in her hands, and the Doctor stayed in the doorway. It inhaled deeply through his nose before it spoke again. 

“I can smell your life, your fear. You’re so vibrant. Don’t be afraid, Rose. It’s not so bad down here.”

“What’ve you done with the Doctor?”

“He’s with me, Rose. We’re waiting for you.” He reached out a hand and wiggled his fingers in a mockery of what the Doctor would do.

“Who are you?”

To see her friend’s body laugh, his eyes crinkle, his adam’s apple bob, but to hear a gravelly laugh sent chills through Rose’s body.

“Names are nothing. Do you think the name ‘Doctor’ will mean anything after he dies? Do you think your own beautiful name will stay with you once you get here?”

“Stay back!” she warned when the Doctor’s body took a step into the building.

“Why are you afraid, Rose? Didn’t you promise me forever?” the Doctor asked.

She whispered his name in astonishment upon hearing his voice and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I said he’s fine!” the rough voice shouted.

Rose narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out how this creature worked. It seemed peaceable enough, despite the short temper, but it refused to give her any straight answers.

“Rose,” the voice croaked, “help me. You said you would help me.”

“Okay, okay . . . I’m going to come closer.”

“Yes.”

“Just tell me how I can help,” she said as she emerged from behind the counter, still gripping the heavy torch.

“Come here.”

She slowly walked up to her friend’s body and stopped two paces away.

“Leave the Doctor’s body, and then we can find you a new home. You don’t have to be alone.”

“Rose,” the voice said on a breath.

The two figures stood still for a moment. Suddenly, the Doctor lunged at Rose. She yelped as she was tackled to the floor, the torch flying out of her hand and landing across the room. The air whooshed out of her lungs. Dust and dirt puffed up from the carpet, falling into the woman’s eyes and catching in her throat as she tried to breathe. She attempted to shove the heavy form off of herself, but his hands pushed her head to the side and to the ground, making pain shoot through her neck. Her hands were trapped between their chests and her legs were caught under the Doctor’s sitting body. As much as she wriggled, she could hardly budge the weight on top of her.

“Calm down, Rose. It’ll be over soon.”

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes. “We can help you. Let us help you. Please!”

“Help! Ha! You’re so fucking self-righteous, every one of you. You all think you can change it, but you can’t. Most are just alone in the end, Rose. But you can join me, and we can be together. Don’t you want our forever, Rose?”

He relieved his forceful grip on Rose’s head, and now was cradling her face between his hands. 

“I promised the Doctor forever, not you,” she said as she thrust her head against the Doctor’s.

She took advantage of the moment of shock and recoil to push him away and run back behind the counter. She shuffled through Will’s belongings again until she found the cold metal item she wanted. A hand clamped down on her shoulder, but Rose propelled her elbow back into the body’s groin, making him release his grip. Before she was able to step away, the Doctor’s hand seized her again, this time by the ankle. She jerked her foot away, and then swung it backwards into the man’s stomach. As he laid on the floor, curled up in pain, Rose made her escape.


	6. Chapter Six

Rose didn’t know how long she was running, but she didn’t stop until she reached the wooden roller coaster at the other end of the park. Leaning against a weathered lamppost, she worked on steadying her breath. After turning off the gun’s safety with jittery hands, Rose squinted in attempt to spot any movement in the distance. Her chest constricted and her hands tightened around the weapon. Instead of a tall figure running toward her, she saw a small figure standing not even twenty paces away.

“You have to do it,” the young girl said.

“W-Who are you?” Rose asked with wide eyes.

“Come on, don’t say you don’t recognize me.”

Rose scrutinized the child. She looked just like the girl in the photographs that Will showed her and the Doctor when they first arrived. She was wearing the same pastel pink dress and holding the same white balloon. Her face didn’t show fear, or any emotion, really. Her large eyes were steadily focused on Rose, and her lips weren’t curved in either a smile or a frown.

“Are you the girl from Will’s photography?”

“If Will’s the creepy photographer who came here last week, then yeah. He kept following me and taking pictures. But that’s not important, ‘cause he’s dead now. That tall, skinny man you were with is dangerous.”

“What do you mean, dangerous?”

The girl turned her head to look toward the park’s entrance. Satisfied with the stillness of the scene, she hastily explained what was happening.

“Your friend is gone. He’s probably dead, but something’s using his body.” Rose’s wildly pumping heart skipped a beat at the word “dead,” but the little girl didn’t pause to give her a chance to react. She continued: “It’s kind of a ghost-demon thing, and she’s evil. She’s going to kill you when she finds you, unless you get to her first. If she gets you too, she can use that blue police box and get off the island. You can’t let that happen. She won’t stop after she kills you, or a hundred people, or even a thousand. She’ll just keep going. You have to stop her.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Because she took my daddy,” the girl mumbled, biting her lip.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. But I’m a bit confused. How --”

The girl groaned and screwed up her face in frustration, tears running down her cheeks.

“My dad brought me here for my birthday. He bought me this balloon before she got to him. I knew something was wrong when he said he wanted to go on the big roller coaster. He was afraid of heights, but he insisted on going on it. When we . . . When we were in the seats, he did my seatbelt and smiled at me. His eyes were all black, and I started to cry, and then the ride started. I noticed that my seatbelt was too loose when we started going up to the first drop. As soon as we went over the top, I fell out. I remember screaming and crying and falling, and then I hit the ground. I heard something crack, and then I couldn’t see anything. People were yelling, but I couldn’t make out any words. Then I remember lying in a hospital bed with my mum leaning over me. I never saw her face so red and wrinkly. Somehow I found out that my daddy was dead. I don’t know how long it took me to die, but I did. I followed my mum around for a while, which is how I found out that Daddy was taken away and that he killed himself before his trial. Mummy told people that he wasn’t acting like himself. When she visited him in jail, he would change between screaming and punching walls to begging for forgiveness and sobbing in a few seconds. My daddy was never violent. I didn’t want to see our funerals, so I came back here and saw that they closed the park. I found a lady in the loo who was talking to herself. She was dead too. She said she messed up by taking me and my dad, and now she had to wait for weirdos to come and do research, but that she would be patient. I ran away before she noticed me, but I decided to stay on the island to warn people. A bunch of people have come, but no one’s talked to me. They never had a chance to get out, really, because she killed them. They’re all dead. But now you’re here, and alive, and you know what’s going on. She’s in your friend’s body. You have the gun to kill her. Please, you have to do it.”

Rose noticed that tears were streaming down her face. She looked down at the weapon and back up at the girl. Could this really be happening? Was the Doctor really possessed by the malevolent spirit of a dead woman? 

“I can’t kill him. I just got him back. There must be some other way!”

“If there was anything else you could do, I would have told you. There’s nothi--”

“Stop!” Rose shouted. “I won’t do it, I can’t! He’s my best friend. I love him. I . . . I . . .”

“Would you rather he kill himself, like my daddy?”

Rose sobbed into one hand while the other remained tightly clutching the gun. She squeezed her eyes shut and howled in fear and sorrow. Her breaths were coming and going as quickly as her thoughts. What if there really was no alternative? What if she really had to choose between the Doctor and the world?


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my darling readers! I'm so sorry for the extensive delay. I had some writer's block, and then I was waiting for one of the betas to get back to me, and then I forgot to post this last week. So here we are, chapter seven. It'll only be a couple more chapters after this.   
> Of course, I must thank my beta @rudebutstillginger

“I’m afraid he’ll hear you,” the girl said after a few moments.

Rose was past the point of caring. She continued to wail, her face pink and puffy. The child looked over her shoulder again and, seeing no immediate threats, allowed the woman a minute more to sob.

“I should tell you that the longer she stays in your friend’s body, the more he’ll suffer.”

This caught Rose’s attention. She lifted her head and tried to quell her tears. When she could breathe more steadily, she asked the girl what she meant.

“Well, if she doesn’t kill him right away, she’ll play with his mind first. She does that from time to time, just messes around in people’s heads. That’s what she did with my Daddy, and that’s why he went crazy.”

“But the Doctor, he’s strong. He has a brilliant mind that won’t give up. Probably fighting her right now, he is.”

“You’re not getting it,” the girl said, stamping her foot. “Even if he fights her, even if he isn’t completely possessed, it still hurts. It’s still really scary. If you really love him, you won’t make him go through that.”

Rose fiddled with her earring. The options were slowly decreasing, narrowing until there was only one. Yet she couldn’t bear to think of using the gun in her hands. Instead she thought on the experiences she shared with the Doctor. From the basement of Henrik’s, when he was gruff with big ears and a leather jacket, to meeting Queen Victoria, and across universes, she lived a life with him that was wild and important and meaningful. Their work saved the lives of millions of living things, and it also saved Rose from a life leading nowhere. She loved her friend intensely, reveling in even the small act of holding his hand. A shiver went through her body when she thought about where their relationship might have been headed. But now their adventures might be at an end. 

Rose took a deep breath and stood up. She looked over the girl’s head, a gentle furrow to her brow. She was no longer crying, but it felt like the tears could return at any moment.

“I need to talk to her one more time,” Rose said in a flat voice. “Give her one more chance.”

“It’s not going to make any difference. She won’t change for anyone or anything.”

“But I have to try.”

Before the girl could get any more words in, Rose began to walk back to the customer service building.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everyone! Almost eleven months later, and I'm finally finished with my first fanfic. I have other ideas in my head, so this won't be the last you see of me. Thank you for reading!  
> Also, I'd like to give a huge shoutout to my betas, jabber-who-key and rudebutstillginger. They are amazing, wonderful, lovely, helpful people.

“Ah, here she is!” the American voice crowed from the Doctor’s body. “I knew you would come back.”

“Yeah, I came back to ask you one more time,” Rose said, staying in the doorway. “Please, just leave the Doctor peacefully. Why do you want his body so bad, anyway? There are tons of other bodies you can take.”

The creature was silent for a moment, furrowing the Doctor’s brow in thought. Then it whispered, “The power . . . the opportunity.” The Doctor’s body sighed. “I want to be with people again, I want to be able to connect, to experience something other than the monotony of this dreary island.”

“We can help you! We can give you a body of your own, and you can walk around and make friends and experience again. I promise you, we’ll find a way. Maybe it won’t be Earth, but you’ll get out again. Now, please, leave the Doctor, and we’ll help you.”

A smirk appeared on the Doctor’s lips. Rose’s heart rate increased. 

“Now, tell me, Rose,” the voice drawled, taking a step forward. “What’s that behind your back?”

Her grip on the gun tightened, but she didn’t reveal the weapon. 

“Don’t move,” she demanded. The Doctor came closer. “‘M warning you. Don’t come any closer.” Still, the Doctor didn’t obey. “Stop!” Rose yelled, bringing the gun around to the front of her body and aiming it at her friend’s body.

“What if I . . . do this?” the voice asked, taking a large step forward. Rose was visibly shaking now, her jaw clenched tight. “Please, let’s be honest, you won’t shoot me. You won’t hurt this body.” It paused for a moment before continuing. “Tell me, do you think he’s still Time Lord enough to regenerate? Do you think he’ll even come back to you if he changes again? I mean, this would be the second time he regenerated because of you. If he can come back at all.”

“Give him back!”

The black eyes in the Doctor’s face glittered as the smile on his lips grew. Instead of advancing on Rose, he walked to the window and stopped. Rose stepped inside the small customer service building, her aim never leaving him. 

“I’m thinking,” the voice said, “about your offer. It is tempting, I’ll give you that.”

Hope fluttered in Rose’s chest, but it was hardly noticeable amongst all the nerves. She remained silent, not letting that bit of hope get the best of her senses. The Doctor’s body faced the window, a pensive and somewhat melancholy expression on his face. Several seconds passed without movement, until Rose decided to walk up to her friend. The being seemed docile enough, and seemed to actually consider leaving the Doctor. She lowered her gun in one hand and lifted the other to reach out to the creature. When her hand made contact with his upper arm, he sighed and turned his toward her. 

“But I like this body.”

The Doctor’s hand shot out and grabbed Rose’s arm. Without thinking, she squeezed the trigger, shooting a bullet into the Doctor’s foot. His knees buckled and he hit the floor. A guttural scream erupted from him, but it was impossible to tell whether it was the creature or the man. Rose took a step backward, holding the gun with both hands again. She looked down and saw his red Chucks and blue trousers darkening with blood. She looked up and saw outrage and pain on his face.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” the voice said through labored breaths. “His foot won’t heal like it used to.”

The body tried to get up, but it was obvious that the right foot couldn’t support much weight. He grunted in his efforts before finally giving up and settling on his knees. He bent forward and released all tension from his muscles, going limp. He lifted his head, inch by inch, to look at Rose with those deep, black eyes.

“Help me.”

It was the Doctor’s voice again. Rose wanted to rush to him, to hold him in her arms and soothe his pain, to take him back to the TARDIS and leave this godforsaken place. But she didn’t move an inch.

“Doctor, I know you’re in there. Please come back,” she begged, her voice catching on the final word. She watched his placid face for any sign of emotion. Even rage would have been less unsettling than his current emotionless expression.“Please come back. I need you.”

His upper body straightened and his face remained passive. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, about to say something. Then he lunged for Rose, grabbed her ankles, and pulled. She collapsed on her back and the creature crawled toward her. She swung the gun and struck his head, cutting his face and sending a splatter of blood into the air. He fell and lay prone on the floor next to her, his body not moving. His chest didn’t rise and fall with his breaths. 

Rose leaned forward, putting both hands on the grimy carpet in front of her, and sobbed. 

“I’m so sorry, Doctor.”

Slowly, a hand moved toward the gun. Rose opened her eyes as the fingers wrapped around the grip. She yanked the gun away, aimed it at the body, and cocked the hammer.

“Rose.”

She pulled the trigger. The body jerked away from the floor, fell again, and convulsed for a few moments. Blood spread into the blue suit jacket and onto the carpet. A whisp of white smoke emerged from the bullet hole, accompanied by a screech. The sound would have startled anyone who heard it, but Rose hardly took notice.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

“It was the only thing to do, Rose,” the Doctor said, turning his head to face her. His teeth were stained red and blood ran out of his mouth. “It was the only option, my precious girl.” 

“Please, please, please regenerate,” she cried, crawling closer. She lifted his head and cradled it in her lap.

“Just one life, remember?” He whispered something else too quietly for Rose to hear over her sobs.

“Doctor! Doctor, please don’t leave me.”

“Rose Tyler . . .”

The Doctor's thought dwindled to a mere, soft wind of breath. And then his head sagged, dropping all its weight onto her legs. She screamed. She rocked back and forth. She stared at the wound she had created. She watched for any sign of movement, any twitch of life. She stayed in that position for hours, ignoring the chill in the air that came with the night. When the sun rose, she kissed his lips one last time, mixing dried blood with fresh tears.

The TARDIS finally let her in, and her hum was low and somber. Rose looked up at the monitor and saw the silhouette of a little girl in a dress standing near the TARDIS. Her eyes tried to focus on the form, but her sight was obstructed by tears. She blinked them away and set the controls for the Powell Estate, 2005. She wouldn’t recognize anyone there, not in this universe, but maybe that was for the better.

“Let’s go home, old girl.”


End file.
